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Discussion (3 Comments)Read Original on HackerNews
I see social media in the same way as alcohol. Mostly good but definitely bad when abused. And we are responsible for teaching kids where that line is and how to navigate consumption to minimize the downsides. A government ban that makes teaching harder is counter-productive, even if I do commend the effort to reduce the harm being done.
Unfortunately, it has become a bit of a “tragedy of the commons” where kids record each other so often, an expectation of being recorded has changed all social dynamics. So a government-mandated ban may help reduce that enough for the issues to be localized and more easily spotted.
I wouldn't call alcohol "mostly good". It is known to cause at least seven types of cancer, and the WHO has stated that "no level of alcohol consumption is safe"[1]. We really should get rid of the outdated and harmful mindset that it is safe or "cool" to consume alcohol.
I also disagree that social media is "mostly good". In fact, psychologists claim[2] that the very existence of social media harms everyone, through opportunity cost. Even if you barely touch any social media, the platforms have fundamentally altered the real-world social fabric around us in an irrevocable way.
[1] https://www.who.int/europe/news/item/04-01-2023-no-level-of-...
[2] Haidt, J (2024). The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness
What you describe was probably true, but it's not anymore. You have algos intentionally targeting formative brains, rewiring them and (at the risk of sounding hyperbolic), destroying children and teens.
This has resulted in a measurable spike in depression and self-harm globally.